Just a Trophy
by Darkness-Waters
Summary: Joey would do anything to defeat Kaiba and shut him up. But Kaiba knows what would hurt Joey most...he wants Serenity's freedom on the line. How will Serenity deal with potentially living with the CEO? Will she find the 'real' Kaiba?  COMPLETE
1. The Challenge

"Alright!" an extremely psyched Joey exclaimed as he gave a fist pump. "With these new cards, my deck is 10x better! Thanks Yug!" The gang was at Mr. Moto's game shop checking out the latest shipment of Duel Monsters cards that weren't even on the shelf yet. Grandpa Moto had allowed Yugi and Joey to get first dibs on these new cards.

"I agree Joey, these cards certainly are powerful…but you have to make sure you know how to use…." Yugi started to say, but Joey interrupted. "Dun worry 'bout it Yug, I know what I'm doin'. These cards fit perfectly in my deck!"

Yugi shrugged, "if you say so." Yugi wasn't the only one not convinced..Mai, Tea, Tristan and Serenity all let out a sigh. "Some people will never change" Mai muttered under her breath. "Hey, I heard dat!"

Never the one to be pessimistic, Joey was full of confidence. This time was no different, with brand new cards just waiting to be played, he couldn't wait to use them. His optimism coupled by his friend's doubt made him more determined than ever to prove himself correct. "You know what guys, I'm so sure that these new cards will make my deck that much better, that I'm…..going to challenge Kaiba!"

They all stared at him, wide-eyed. Tea was the first one to break the silence, "I'm not sure if that's such a good idea…I mean you know how that guy is, he'll never just randomly accept a challenge. I don't even think Kaiba duels for the fun of it nowadays anyway." Tristan chimed in, "Yea, dude it's all about Kaiba Corp to him, day and night. There's no way he would agree to a fun duel with you."

"Fun duel! I'm going to prove to him that I'm the number 2 duelist in the world, right behind Yugi by beating that moneybags!" Joey countered. "I'll finally have him realize that all those times in the past, he's just been lucky beating me!"

As Joey continued on with his daydream, the group just rolled their eyes. They all knew that while Joey was a good duelist, he wasn't exactly 'Kaiba-level' good. Of course, they would never say that aloud. "I believe in you Joey!" It was Serenity, once again giving her brother support. Joey hugged her and gave the rest of the group a glare with his hands on his hips, "I knew somebody would see this my way".

"So…how do you plan on presenting Kaiba with…this challenge?" Yugi wondered. It wasn't as if they could just march up to Kaiba Corp and demand to see Kaiba for a game a Duel Monsters. That would be a sure way to get kicked right back out.

"What do ya mean? I'll just challenge him at school tomorrow..." Joey began, and then started to snicker. "In a place where there'll be a lot of people around…that way he can't say no, otherwise everyone is gonna think he's scared of me!"

* * *

><p>"Kaiba I challenge you to a duel!" Joey stood right in front of the CEO's deck in the classroom before class stated, pointing his finger at him. But he wasn't met with a response. Kaiba merely looked at him out of the corner of his eye, and then resumed reading several company papers. "Hey answer me! And wipe dat smug look off ya face!" Joey was ready to pounce and Kaiba hasn't even done anything. Yugi and Tristan restrained him.<p>

"Joey, see told you this was a bad idea." Tristan flatly stated.

"Kaiba, could you at least answer him and get this over with? Everyone here is looking at us." Yugi semi-whispered to the young CEO.

Without looking up, Kaiba gave his answer, "No."

"Well, not that's done with, let's get out of here…" Yugi tried to push back to his seat, but to no avail. "Yug, I ain't goin' anywhere till this jerk accepts!" Joey complained. "What da matta moneybags? Scared, ya? You musta learned dat my improved deck is scary good!"

At this point, the whole 'challenge' had attracted quite a crowd in the class. With Yugi and Tristan trying to get Joey away from Kaiba, Tea and Serenity just stood back, too embarrassed to associate themselves with the ruckus. "I don't have time to deal with simpletons like you…if I received a penny each time I get challenged…I'd be a millionaire" Kaiba mused. "Oh wait, I am."

"Why you!" Joey once again had to be held back by Yugi and Tristan. "Just admit it, you're scared of losing to me!"

"Me? Lose to you? Not in this lifetime, you mutt. If you haven't realized, I have a company to run. No time to play with dogs" Kaiba's retort was met with 'ooohs' and 'awwws' from the class. Once again, Kaiba was pressing all the right buttons to get Joey infuriated.

"Mr. Kaiba, would you please just accept my brother's request for a game? I know you're busy and all, but how much can one duel take out of your schedule?" A small voice stated. Kaiba looked over. 'Hmm…it's the mutt's sister…what was her name? I remember her faintly from Battle City…Oh yes, that's right…Serenity Wheeler' Kaiba's eyes studied the person who just spoke up, long auburn colored hair, big hazel eyes. He failed to see any sort of resemblance she had with her brother.

"How cute…a dog who can't fight his own battles."

"Arrgghh! Says da guy who's too scared to duel me! Serenity, don't waste your time wit dis jerk, I got this."

"Tell me…aside from the pleasure of humiliating you once again, what's in it for me? I suggest you don't answer me until you come up with a good and persuasive enough reason." Kaiba finally started to show a remote interest in the challenge.

It didn't take long for Joey to respond however. It was all instinct and emotion. "Anything! I'll agree to anything you say…" Everyone just gawked at him. "…so long as dat something doesn't involve killing, drugs, robbing a bank, giving you all mah cards…."

"Save it Wheeler…I promise that whatever I'll have in mind won't be anything against the law…Kaiba Corp, 7 PM. If you're late, you've lost your chance."

* * *

><p>"Joey, are out of your mind? How could you just agree to Kaiba's open-conditions like that?" Tea was both angry and puzzled. Tristan gave her shoulder a pat, "Don't worry about it…what's the worst that can happen, Kaiba will probably just have Joey dress up in a dog costume!" His remark quickly earned him a headlock from Joey.<p>

After a few seconds, Joey let go of his friend's neck. "You guys are all forgettin' dat whatever these conditions are, it won't matta, cuz I ain't losin'!" Joey proudly stated with his chest up"

"That's the spirit Joey! Show him the heart of a true duelist!" Yugi cheered. Tea just dropped her head. "I hope for your own sake you know what you're getting yourself into…"

* * *

><p>It was 5 PM, Kaiba just sat there in his office, not even bothering to fix his deck. He was busy thinking what he could do after he would emerge victorious…again. Although it had been a good while since he's touched his cards at all, Kaiba knew that against a duelist like Joey Wheeler, it wouldn't take too much effort. Even after such a long hiatus, there was never a single doubt that he wouldn't win. 'What could I do to make his life miserable? Have him eat dog food? No, that satisfaction would not nearly last long enough…and knowing him..he might even enjoy it…Should I rip up his Red Eyes? No, there's no point destroying such an inferior card…'<p>

And then all of a sudden it struck him. His mind flashed back to earlier in the day when Joey made the challenge. He recalled his sister speaking up to him. 'Who does she think she is…she wasn't even involved in the conversation!' Although not acquainted to Serenity, Kaiba knew how important she was to Joey. 'Hmm…I know exactly what I want know when I win…'

* * *

><p>Joey took the lead, as he led the group to Kaiba Corp. "Here we are money bags!" Kaiba was already standing there waiting. Kaiba didn't say anything, instead he just motioned for them to follow him simply by moving his head.<p>

He led them to an arena, holding Kaiba Corp's latest creation. It was a gigantic dueling platform with cutting edge technology. They all just gasped, amazed at what they were witnessing. Kaiba smirked, "You should be honored, to be the first public people to witness this." He then directed his attention to Joey. "Sign this contract…if I win, it'll bind you legally to do as it says…but shall I lose, I will call for a nationwide press conference acknowledging you as the better duelist…"

Before anyone could even speak, Joey had already signed the paper. Kaiba's promise of publically announcing him to be superior was far too enticing to him to wait. "Joey! You have any idea what you just signed!" Joey turned around to see Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Serenity all screaming at him.

"Yea dude, you don't even know what Kaiba wants from you. Why did you sign that so quickly?" Tristan asked.

Joey reassuringly just waved his hand. "How bad can it be…he just….WHAT?" He read over the stipulation. "You WHAT? No way I agree to this!"

"Too late, mutt…you've already signed…and if you don't uphold your end of the bargain…guess who's getting sued? But then again, I can't exactly expect dogs to know how to read, right?"

"What does Kaiba want, Joey?" There was concern in Yugi's voice. Based on his friend's reaction, he knew that Kaiba was up to no good. He didn't get a response, Joey just stood there frozen, unable to move.

"Kaiba! What did you put in that contract!" Tea yelled.

"It's simple…WHEN I win, I get so-called 'custody' of Ms. Serenity Wheeler over there" Kaiba looked over at Serenity, who gasped at the mention of her name. "..for 6 months…"


	2. Facing Reality

"Kaiba! What did you put in that contract!" Tea yelled.

"It's simple…WHEN I win, I get so-called 'custody' of Ms. Serenity Wheeler over there" Kaiba looked over at Serenity, who gasped at the mention of her name. "..for 6 months…"

A smirk formed on Kaiba's face as he saw everyone literally freeze upon hearing what he had just said. Silence filled the arena until Yugi finally spoke up, "You can't do that, that's no different from kidnapping!"

What Yugi just said gave the rest of the group a small glimmer of hope. "Yea, we'll just call the cops on you if you take Serenity!" Tristan chimed in. As all of this was happening, Serenity had yet to move a muscle, barely even blinking…her life could potentially be changed forever in a matter of minutes.

"Go ahead and try, but you do very well know that my company is the backbone of Domino City…and without me the entire region could face economic failure…You really think the authorities would take that risk? Don't make me laugh…" As Kaiba gave his response, that little hope that Yugi created vanished instantly. They all knew what Kaiba said was the truth, there was no way the governing bodies of Domino would do anything about it.

"That's hardly fair Kaiba!"

"I never said life was fair, did I?"

Joey finally snapped out of his trance. "Dun worry Seren, the only thing that'll happen afta 'dis duel is Kaiba admitting dat I'm better!" He tried to put on a show of confidence in front of his friends and sister, but Kaiba saw right through him, "You know, it would sound a lot more believable if you said that without having your legs tremble."

"Big brother, go get him! I know you can do it!" Those words caught everyone off guard, and they looked over to the source. At last Serenity found enough courage to speak up after being hit with such a duel stipulation. Yugi, Tea and Tristan jumped in, "Joey she's right, show'em what you're made of!"

"Thanks guys…."

"Spare all this friendship and inspirational speeches…let's just get this over with. I have a company to run." The young CEO flatly stated. "…And a lady to take home…" That last comment elicited an 'argghh' from said-lady's brother. Kiaba ignored him and led the way on to the duel platform.

* * *

><p>"Ladies first…" Kaiba let Joey start off the duel.<p>

"Say wha?" Joey shrugged off the insult. "You'll pay for dat! I summon Axe Raider!" As he laid down his card, a life-like hologram suddenly appeared right in front of him. The Axe wielding humanoid let out a battle cry, and sent shockwaves through the entire arena. Clearly shocked by the realism, Joey took a step back. "Holy crap…"

"Scared already, little dog? You haven't seen anything yet…prepare yourself for the most realistic game of duel monsters you've ever played! Come forth X-Head Cannon!"

15 minutes later, the duel stood at dead even at 3100 life points each. Joey drew his next card and smiled, 'Yes! One of the new cards I got from Gramp's shop!' "Kaiba prepare ta make your live broadcast! I remove ma Thousand Dragon from my field…"

"Yugi, what's Joey doing? He already has Kaiba in a bad position, why is letting up by removing Thousand Dragon?" Tristan had no idea what Joey had in mind.

"If he's got 'that' card in hand, this move could win him the duel!" Yugi knew what card Joey was holding.

"…and summon da mighty Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" With that, a larger than life metallic dragon came into virtual existence. It was truly an amazing sight. "It's ova Kaiba! With my dragon's special ability, I special summon Red Eyes Black Dragon from mah hand!"

Everyone looked on in anticipation. "Oh my goodness…Joey just summoned the two strongest monsters in his deck just like that out of nowhere!" Even as a spectator, Tea was shaking as she said this. Kaiba's technology had practically brought the two dragons to life.

While everyone was in awe, Kaiba just stood there, calm and cool as ever. "Is that all you got?

"I'll show you! Red Eyes, attack his Kaiser Seahorse!"

As Joey's dragon unleashed its fiery breath, it never reached his opponent. "Huh? What happened?"

After the smoke cleared, the card Negate Attack was clearly visible on Kaiba's side of the field. "Now to finish you off, mutt…Monster Reborn, my Blue Eyes White Dragon!" A familiar roar sent chills up everyone. "Next I sacrifice my Seahorse for another Blue Eyes!" Just like that, the two White Dragons stared down the inferior dragons, and within seconds, they were the only two dragons left standing. "Finally, I special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon!" Within moments of being summoned, all the cards on the field and their hands were destroyed. The field was bare…but so were Joey's life points.

"K-k-kaiba…h-he destroyed both his dragons just to win the duel…." Yugi was shocked. "That's no way to treat your monsters…"

It took a moment for reality to set in, but they were given a hint as Kaiba voiced himself. "Looks like the Kaiba mansion has a new resident…" He stared directly at Serenity, who was still trying to process what had just taken place.

Joey dropped down to his knees, and slammed his fists on to the ground. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Tears ran down his face. "I lost…I lost the duel…and mah sista…"

Tea had seen enough. "Kaiba, look at him. Please, just let him off…you have no idea what Joey and Serenity had to endure to get to today..." Although it was Joey who had just lost, Tea couldn't help but get watery-eyed. She knew how devastated her friend was.

"Too bad…your pathetic friend made his grave by challenging me, now he has to suffer in it." Kaiba refused the plead.

"Please Kaiba…" Yugi begged as well.

"Is it my fault that the dog bit off more than he can chew?"

"Kaiba, why you!" Tristan lept at Kaiba, ready to swing his fist at his head. But a side-step, and forearm later, Tristan found himself on the ground.

Kaiba slowly walked over to the younger Wheeler, who was stilled unable to come to terms with what had just happened. Literally in the state of shock. Kaiba put his arms around her waist and started to guide her out of the arena. Serenity found body not willing to respond, as all she could do was walk in the direction she was guided in.

It wasn't until Joey screamed out her name that she came to her senses. "Joey!" She tried to run back to her fallen sibling as tears flowed rapidly out of her eyes. But she was quickly stopped with a vice like grip on her arm. "No! Let me go!" She struggled, but to no avail.

"You belong to me now…" Kaiba looked straight into her eyes. He had never seen such fear being exhibited before, and it almost amused him as he grinned.

Serenity's face looked as if there was a monster was standing right before her. Technically, there was…all she had ever heard from her brother and friends were about how heartless, mean, scary and ruthless Kaiba was. And now, her face was mere inches away from his eyes. "Please, I'm begging you…let me go…" Her voice was barely audible.

"No." With that, Kaiba forced her forward a few more steps outside the arena and into his limo.

The rest of the group could only stand idle as they saw their friend being forcefully taken away and driven off. Only after the limo was out of sight did they remember Joey still out on the duel platform. They ran to their fallen ally. "Joey…"

Joey didn't respond and just buried his head into Yugi and Tea's arms. Completely uncharacteristic, he cried until there were no tears left. "I lost…"

"Joey, we're sorry…"

"It's all my fault…if I wasn't for me, Serenity…." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, still unwilling to accept what had happened.

"Joey…" Yugi started again. "I'm sure Kaiba wouldn't do anything 'wrong' to Serenity." He tried to sound sure of himself, but he couldn't. There really was no telling what Kaiba was capable of and willing to do. "I mean…Mokuba's there, I'm certain he won't let Kaiba…"

Tea tried to believe Yugi's words as well. "Yugi's right…Mokuba will definitely keep his nasty brother in check. Besides I think he only took Serenity to get to you Joey…I don't think he'll hurt her…" Tea too, was unable to sound confident in her own statement.

"That jerk….I swear I find out he hurt my sista in any way, Imma kill that freak!"

* * *

><p>As the limo arrived in front of the Kaiba mansion, he once again took hold of Serenity's arm and dragged her out. Not being able to put up a fight, Serenity found herself being shoved into the mansion entrance.<p>

Kaiba finally let go. "Walk," he ordered. Serenity could only obey…knowing that she wasn't capable of escaping. After several more orders, they ended up on the second floor, in front of what appeared to be a bedroom. "Go in."

Serenity back peddled into the room, looked around. It wasn't Kaiba's room, it was far too small to be. And there wasn't much stuff…it had to be a guest room. "Keep going." Serenity didn't hear Kaiba, she was too occupied with surveying her new surroundings. Seeing that she didn't respond, Kaiba gave her a slight push. Not expecting it, Serenity fell over the edge of the bed, and landed on her back on top of the comfortable mattress.

She looked back up, and saw the fearsome CEO advancing…"No…no…get away from me!" She tried to get up, but her body was too frightened to move a single muscle….


	3. The First Night

She looked back up, and saw the fearsome CEO advancing…"No…no…get away from me!" She tried to get up, but her body was too frightened to move a single muscle….

"Serenity, breakfast is ready!" Joey shouted upstairs as he prepared two plates. He didn't get a response, forgetting the events that transpired just the evening before. 'Where could she be this early in the morning? She didn't leave early for school did she?' Being the protective brother he was, he immediately searched all the rooms…nothing. He called up Yugi, "Yugs, Serenity's missin'! I'm beginnin' ta freak out ova here!"

Joey's receiver was met with a sleepy voice, "Calm down Joey...what do you mean Serenity's missing?"

"I made breakfast, and I called her down, but she didn't respond..So I checked all da rooms, and she wasn't anywhere! I dun' see any notes on da table, da fridge, da…" Yugi cut him off.

"Joey...have you forgotten about yesterday?" Yugi's receiver was silent for a moment. "Joey?"

"Oh ya…I forgot…dammit…" There was disappointment and sadness in his voice. "I'll see ya in class…later."

* * *

><p>As the gang was about to head into the classroom, they realized that there was already someone in there. "Who could be here before us?" Tea asked. Usually, there were always the first to arrive, leaving sufficient time for Yugi and Joey to have a duel or two before class started.<p>

"Serenity!" Joey recognized the person slumped over the desk with her head buried in her arms.

Slowly, the figure raised her head. "Joey!" She got up and hugged her brother.

"How did things go last night? Did Kaiba hurt ya? Are ya feelin' alright? Did…"

"Slow down there buddy," Tristan tried to calm his friend down, who seemed like he had a million questions.

"I'm ok," Serenity meekly replied.

"Did dat clown do anything ta ya?" Before Serenity could answer, someone else replied for her.

"And what would I ever 'dare' do to your sister, hmm?" It was Kaiba, just walking in and crashing the short-lived reunion. "Tell your pathetic brother that I didn't do 'anything' to you." He looked right at his new house guest.

Serenity shuddered at his glare. If looks could kill, this would certainly be it. Serenity looked down, and then to Joey. "H-he didn't do anything to me…I'm fine."

"Come on, don't be afraid Serenity." Tea didn't completely believe Serenity's reply.

"No, really...I'm fine."

Before anyone else could say anything, another group of students had come through the door. They decided it would be best to drop the discussion at that point. Kaiba just smirked, and looked over to Joey, who growled and clenched his fists. "Easy there dog, you guys should really keep him on a leash…"

"Shut up Kaiba, just leave Joey alone." Tristan was quick to defend his buddy. Kaiba just grinned, as he took his seat.

It wasn't till lunch that the group had an opportunity to speak to Serenity without the presence of Kaiba. "Ok, Kaiba's not here now, so you can tell us what happened."

"Yugi, I know you guys are concerned...but nothing happened. Honest!" Serenity exclaimed. They didn't believe her though. Serenity saw the looks on their faces, and knew that they thought she was lying. "Guys, Kaiba didn't do anything to me." She stated firmly.

Figuring no matter what they said, she wouldn't say anything, Joey gave up. "Ok sis, but if dat jerk does anything, lemme know and Imma beat'em up!"

"Thanks Joey." Serenity smiled.

* * *

><p><em>[Flashback to last night]<em>

"No…no…get away from me!" Serenity tried to get herself up from the bed, but was unable to as taller Kaiba approached. "I'll scream!"

"Go ahead." Kaiba egged her on. "Go ahead and scream…in my house. See if anyone will care."

Serenity knew he was right. Tears came rapidly down her face, she hated being so weak and vulnerable in the face of adversity. "Please, don't…" She pleaded.

The trademark smirk formed on Kaiba's face. "Don't what?" Kaiba knew exactly what she was referring to, but decided to play along. Serenity didn't respond as she tried to stop herself from crying. "I was just going to help you up and get the covers off the bed" Kaiba said oh-so-innocently.

"I don't believe you…" Serenity whispered in between sobs, still flat on her back laying on the bed.

Kaiba walked closer until he was within just a few feet of her, and suddenly hovered right over her. His arms positioned right above Serenity's shoulders, holding himself up. His face was mere inches away from hers'. Serenity let out a gasp. "What do you want?"

She could feel his breath on her face. Kaiba moved his head until his head was right beside hers' and whispered into her ear, "I always get what I want." He could feel the smaller girl beneath him shaking. With that said he got up and walked to the door, leaving Serenity to collect her thoughts. Before he walked out, he spoke again. "But don't worry, what I want…isn't you…so I suggest you stop being so foolish. Bathroom is to the right of the room…towels are in there already."

Serenity finally tilted her head a little so she could view the door. Kaiba had left already. It took her a few minutes to recover from what had just taken place. She slowly got back to her feet and followed Kaiba's instructions to the bathroom. She locked the door and walked straight to the sink and mirror. She saw the reflection of a broken down girl in the mirror. She looked a mess. A quick cold shower later, Serenity felt slightly refreshed, and walked out.

Kaiba was standing next to the door waiting as she came out. Serenity gasped and she almost fell down from surprise. "What do you want?" She asked for the second time.

"It's not what 'I' want, it's what do 'you' want?"

"What do you mean?" Serenity was confused. 'Was this a joke?'

"You realize you came here straight from Kaiba Corp? You don't have anything with you…and here I was, thinking you'd be a tad smarter than your mutt brother…"

Serenity chose to ignore that last comment. "So, will you take me home?"

"No."

She pouted. "But then-" Kaiba cut her off by throwing a catalogue at her. Not expecting it, it smacked her right in the forehead and fell to the ground. "Oww…" She rubbed her head before picking it up.

"Check off what you want, and give it to one of the maids in an hour." Kaiba stated, sounding completely uninterested. "As for tonight, you're out of luck"

Serenity briefly flipped through the catalogue pages, and the prices caught her attention first. Her eyes widened. Before she could say anything though, it was as if Kaiba read her thoughts. "And don't worry about having to pay for them…just check off what you want." She didn't have a chance to respond, as Kaiba had already retreated into the dark hall and vanished into one of the rooms.

Serenity sighed and walked back to what she assumed would be her room from now on. She looked around once more, this time mentally noting her surroundings. She forgot everything she saw earlier due to her 'close-encounter' with Kaiba moments upon entering the room initially. Aside from the large bed, there was a desk, a large mirror right in front of it, a dresser, and a bedside drawer and lamp. She went over to the desk and flipped through the catalogue, which consisted of literally everything she would need to survive the next several months.

An hour later, she heard a knock on the door. "Ms Serenity Wheeler, Master Kaiba instructed me to come to you. How may I help you?"

"Oh" Serenity seemed rather surprised. "Here's the catalogue I guess." She handed over the book, "Thanks." With nothing else to do, she decided it was time to crash. She removed the bed covers, and was once again surprised. Under the covers was a large t-shirt. 'Did Kaiba have this all planned out?'

Knowing she didn't have anything else to change into and would be stuck wearing the same clothes tomorrow, Serenity knew it wasn't a good idea to sleep in them. She walked over to the door to make sure it was locked, and stripped out of her clothes, and slipping on the t-shirt. It didn't fit her at all, flowing all the way down to mid thigh. Serenity blushed…she had never slept with so little on before. She shrugged it off and dozed off.

_[End Flashback]_

* * *

><p>The rest of lunch was silent, at least to Serenity, no thoughts or voices registered in her mind. The only thing she could think about was how she would get through the upcoming months. She knew that she only had two more hours of freedom before classes were finished and she would have to report back to the Kaiba mansion. She let out a sigh. It would be the beginning of a brand new life.<p>

* * *

><p>Remember to please take time and leave a review of any thoughts you have! You guys inspire me ^^<p> 


	4. A Day in the Mansion

As soon as Serenity stepped outside the school, Kaiba was already there waiting, and promptly told her to head for the limo. He was literally controlling every aspect of her life. The entire ride back to the mansion was in silence. Serenity kept her distance from the CEO inside the limo, and didn't say a single word.

It wasn't until back inside the mansion that Serenity realized that Mokuba was nowhere to be found. Truth be told, she was far too pre-occupied with other issues in her mind the night before to notice. "Mr. Kaiba, where's Mokuba?" Serenity asked quietly with her head down, avoiding eye contact.

"Drop the formal titles, Wheeler. Makes me sound old…and for your information, Mokuba's in the States overseeing the development of Kaibaland USA."

'Whoa…at such a young age…talent like this must run in the family…' Serenity thought to herself. But before she could actually finish her current thought, she realized something else and gasped…she would be in the mansion alone with Kaiba! "Umm…when is he coming back?"

"Not before you're gone. What, scared?" Kaiba asked in a mocking tone. He knew quite well that she was intimidated by his presence. He couldn't blame her though, she was definitely not alone.

"N-no. I'm not scared." It sounded more like Serenity was trying to convince herself, rather than reply to Kaiba. Whatever her intent, she was frightened deep down, after such close calls with Kaiba yesterday, she was truly scared for her life of what was going to happen over the course of the next six months.

* * *

><p>As like the car ride, dinner was exceptionally quiet. It seemed awkward, eating at such a long table and only one end was occupied. The food was amazing, nothing Serenity would ever have gotten a chance to experience back home. When she was done, she quickly got up, pushed the chair in and bowed slightly, "Thank you for dinner".<p>

'Hmmph..at least this Wheeler has manners,' Kaiba thought to himself. "Save it, otherwise you're going to end up thanking me over a thousand times by the time you leave…"

"Oh..right. I-I'm sorry." Serenity felt embarrassed.

"Sorry? For what?"

An already embarrassed Serenity felt her cheeks grow even hotter. "I-I-…"

"Spare me, and just don't say a thing."

"I'm sorry!" Serenity found herself babbling again.

Kaiba didn't say anything this time and just stared at her. Taken back by the pair of cold blue eyes looking straight into her own eyes, she felt startled, and quickly left the dining room. She locked herself in her room, trying to get a hold of herself. 'Oh my goodness, I just made a complete fool of myself in front of him, multiple times within mere minutes!'

Several moments later, Serenity heard a knock on the door. "Ms. Serenity Wheeler?" the voice called. Serenity recognized whom it belonged to; it was the maid from last night she gave the catalogue to. She walked over to unlock the door, and found the maid standing next to a large box. "Ms. Serenity Wheeler, here's all the items you wanted."

"Please, just call me Serenity." Serenity told the elder lady politely as she welcomed her into the room. "I never got your name, ma'am."

"You may call me Marie. And if there's anything else you need, just feel free to let me know."

"Thank you Marie, I appreciate all your help." Serenity was glad that there was someone who she could actually have a real conversation with. If not for Marie, Serenity was afraid that after the six months of living with Kaiba would make her forget actual speech!

After Marie left, Serenity went through the box. Everything she checked off in the catalogue was in there, from clothes, to toothbrushes and other everyday accessories…everything she needed to get by the next few months. Serenity put everything away, and picked out something comfortable to wear for the night, a set of light pink silk pajamas. 'Wow, it feels so nice on my skin…and it's so shiny!' Serenity thought to herself as she looked at her own reflection from the mirror. She recalled faintly the price associated with them, and she once again found herself in awe. If she remembered correctly, the price for the pajamas she was currently wearing was probably more expensive than half the clothes in her closet combined back at home!

Serenity settled in with a one of the few books she ordered as well. She figured that reading would become one of her biggest past times in the foreseeable future. To her dismay last night, she didn't see any computers or other form of electronics in the catalogue. A laptop would certainly have been nice, at least it would give her an opportunity to keep in touch with Joey and friends. 'I bet Kaiba knew that already, and he just wants me to have a miserable time here…' Just as Serenity finished a few pages, there was another knock. This time however, there wasn't a voice accompanying the knock.

Opening the door revealed Kaiba standing right outside. Kaiba didn't even give Serenity a chance to speak, which was probably a good idea after what took place during the end of dinner. "I don't expect you to imprison yourself in here for 6 months…you know you're allowed to use the television down in the living room, right?"

"Ummm….where's the living room?" Serenity felt her face heat up again. It was such a stupid question, but given the size of the mansion and that she wasn't given a formal tour, it made feel slightly less stupid.

Kaiba just motioned with his hand and Marie appeared several moments later. "Show her the living room." Straight to the point. With that, Kaiba had already left. Serenity was amazed at how rude Kaiba was towards Marie.

"Follow me Serenity." Marie said in a cheery voice while waving the younger girl over to her.

Once they descended the long stairs, Serenity found Marie taking her through what seemed like a labyrinth. 'Oh man…I hope I remember how to get down here by myself…' She looked closely to see her surroundings and possibly find out where it was with respect to the dining room. "Here we are!" Serenity heard Marie's voice.

"Wow…" Serenity was speechless as she looked around. There was a black leather couch seat three people, and in front of it was a huge flat screen television. Serenity estimated it to be at least 65 inches. "May I use the TV right now?"

"Sure go ahead, you can use it any time you desire, my dear. Master Kaiba has his own television in his room, besides, this one is mostly used by Young Master Mokuba." Marie explained.

"Marie, do you have time for a little talk? To be honest, I'm not accustomed to not having anyone to talk to for extended periods of time since I was living with my brother…"

"Sure, I'd love to. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, if it's ok, I just wanted to get to know you better ...I mean I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing each other a lot over the next little while, so might as well make a new friend, right?" Marie would probably be the only friend Serenity would have in the upcoming 6 months. She highly doubted that Kaiba would be a second person she would befriend.

"Oh definitely, don't want to keep you too lonely now." Marie gave Serenity a warm smile.

* * *

><p>"So, you mean you've worked at the Kaiba mansion for over 20 years?" Serenity asked shocked. It didn't make any sense to her Kaiba himself probably just around that age. "But…" Marie answered Serenity's question before she could even let it out.<p>

"You must be wondering how this was all possible. You see, before Master Kaiba took over this place, it belonged to his father. Stubborn old man he was…"

'Like father-like son,' Serenity thought to herself.

"It was about 12 years ago that Master Kaiba came here when he was adopted." Serenity took note that Marie avoided mentioning Kaiba's father's name. She didn't want to press on about that. Serenity didn't even know that Kaiba and Mokuba were adopted into the family! "The Kaiba family has been very generous to me over the years, and I am forever grateful to them."

"How is it like working for Kaiba?" Serenity started her question. "He was so rude to you." She added in a quieter voice, making sure that even if Kaiba was nearby the room, that he wouldn't be able to hear her.

Marie gave out a laugh. "Ahh yes, I knew you would ask me that. It really isn't that bad, and Master Kaiba has been very nice to me, even spoke on my behalf several times to his father."

Serenity was completely taken off-guard. 'Kaiba thinking about other people? He actually saved Marie from being fired by his father? Unreal!'

"How should I say this?" A few seconds later, Marie finally came up with the right words. "Master Kaiba is often misunderstood by the people around him. Having watched him grow up, he's changed quite a bit, but I know deep down inside, he's still the brave boy who saved this old lady her job. I'm sure you'll get to know him better in your stay." Once again, Marie gave Serenity a warm smile.

* * *

><p>Serenity didn't know what to make of this. For the first time, she had found a person that didn't have anything negative to say about Kaiba! As she was surfing through the countless channels she thought back to what Marie had said. 'Is the Kaiba that we all know not truly the real him? Maybe the real Kaiba is actually nice…' Serenity shook off her thoughts and laughed at herself for even thinking that. How could someone as cold as Kaiba have a softer side? Serenity was convinced that Marie only had so much positive to say because she was working for him.<p>

That night, Serenity found it hard fall asleep. The thought of there being a different side to Kaiba had intrigued her deeply. The image of the young boy speaking up to his father, protecting an elderly lady kept popping up in her mind. Serenity wondered if this Kaiba would ever re-surface...

* * *

><p>Remember to please take time and leave a review of any thoughts you have! I'll have more motivation to continue this faster when I see that people are interested in this story! ^^<p> 


	5. From Bad to Worse?

If this 'real' Seto Kaiba existed, he didn't reveal himself over the next month. Life at the Kaiba residence was what Serenity had expected it to be after the initial few days. Serenity's life was practically a set routine now. Wake Up, school, go home, school work, dinner, read, television, sleep. Aside from her few hours at school, there was basically no one to socialize with. As nice as Marie was, Serenity found it like speaking to her mother – there were just some things that you want to keep private from elders.

It took Serenity a few days, but she discovered that the living room was actually quite close to the front door, which was in turn close to the stairs that led to her room. She was relieved to know that she wouldn't need guidance every time.

* * *

><p>It was a Thursday evening around 8 pm, everything same as usual…Serenity was sitting comfortably on the couch watching some television drama when she heard the door open. She got up and went over to the door, "Good evening Kaiba", she said with a bow. It had become a daily chore now, greeting Kaiba as he came back from Kaiba Corp. If there was anything that her mother had taught her, no matter what the situation, manners cannot be forgotten. So as much as she didn't like the idea of Kaiba forcing her to live here, she would still try to be pleasant around him.<p>

On the other hand, Kaiba didn't seem to care. His way of acknowledging the younger Wheeler sibling was by merely shifting his eyes towards her direction, not even bothering to turn his head in the slightest. At first, Serenity was once again taken back by his rudeness, but by now, her greeting was merely a natural instinctive response to the door opening around this time, not an attempt to start a conversation and she was no longer expecting a response.

* * *

><p>As Serenity's final class of the day came to an end, she let out a sigh of relief, another week had passed. In the approaching weekend, aside from not being allowed to enjoy it like all other people, Serenity was pleased to know that she'll actually have the few days to relax as she had no outstanding reports or projects to finish up. She could finally get some quality reading time in.<p>

The ride back to the mansion started out normally, in silence. The only sound Serenity would hear would either come from Kaiba's laptop or phone. Serenity was enjoying the passing scenery outside when she heard Kaiba's voice, "Straight to Kaiba Corp" he told the driver.

"Umm…" Serenity wanted to ask what was going on, but like many times in the past, she didn't get to finish her sentence when Kaiba cut her off.

"Important appointment in 30 minutes…don't have time to drop you off." Typical Kaiba response, short and to the point. It was an explanation nonetheless, and Serenity knew better than to probe, it was none of her business to begin with.

It was Serenity's first time going inside the Kaiba Corp building, and it completely overwhelmed her, sure she had seen it in magazines, newspapers and from afar, but never had she stepped inside the corporate headquarters. The place was colossal, every room they walked by, there were tons of people on the phone or on the computer working busily. 'And all of these people work for Kaiba…' The thought was somewhat scary; to know how many people he had under his power.

Occupied with looking around, Serenity didn't realize that Kaiba had stopped walking and bumped right into him. She found her balance before she made a complete fool of herself. "I'm sorry," of everything Serenity has said to Kaiba in one month's time, these two words ranked pretty high…she always found herself doing something stupid in front of him. It was hard not to, his presence was extremely daunting.

Serenity realized that they were standing in front of an office door way. Kaiba didn't say anything after the apology, instead he knocked on the opened door. "Yumi, give me a K-5." Serenity didn't know what Kaiba was talking about. A few seconds later, a middle aged women, probably in her early 30s walked over to the door and handed a small box to Kaiba.

Kaiba didn't say anything, didn't even thank her as he started walk again. Once Kaiba noticed Serenity's footsteps start to pick up, he held out the box to Serenity not bothering to either turn around or stop walking. "Entertain yourself with it. My meeting might take a while."

What Kaiba had just said caught Serenity by surprise. 'Did Kaiba just do something considerate?' Serenity took the box and decided it would be best to wait until they stopped walking before looking at it. She didn't want to bump into him again.

Their destination turned out to be a large room, with an interior room inside it. "Sit," Kaiba ordered. There were a few chairs right outside the room. Serenity assumed that it was where the guests usually waited if Kaiba was not here yet. She took her seat as she watched Kaiba walk into the interior room. 'Oh right, the box.' She had almost forgotten about it.

She read the front to herself, "KC-Phone 5." Upon reading what she was holding, her hands were literally shaking. The KC-Phone was 'the' top of the line phone in the country, and definitely the most expensive phone in the current market. It had everything, from net browsing, gaming, music, the list just went on. It was such a premium product Serenity could have never afforded it. It took her a moment to come to terms that Kaiba had just given this to her.

Although Serenity felt like a little kid opening presents on Christmas day, she made sure to hide her excitement, as she didn't want to make a scene at an office setting. As she opened the box, a small booklet had fallen out. Just as Serenity was about to pick it up, a large hand appeared on the ground, picking the dropped item for her. Serenity looked up at the hulking person standing before her. "I believe you dropped this miss."

"T-thank you," Serenity stammered. He was just as intimidating as Kaiba, but in a different sense. This guy was just plain scary, incredibly large, mid-40s, while Kaiba on the other hand…..Serenity failed to find the right words for it. The guy had walked into the room Kaiba entered a few moments ago, Serenity figured that he must be the person Kaiba was meeting with.

Serenity resumed playing with her new toy. Occasionally glancing over through the window, checking to see if the meeting was over. The glass was sound-proof, so Serenity hadn't the slightest idea what they were talking about, but near the end, she saw the big guy extremely animated with his actions. He seemed to be really mad. He finally stormed out of the room, clearly frustrated. If the initial impression he left Serenity was scary, the way he looked when he left was terrifying. Serenity looked back inside to find a cool, calm and collected Kaiba collecting the papers on his desk.

One of Kaiba's assistants left the meeting room and started talking to the receptionist in the room, "I swear a fight was going to break out! That was a really close call.." They weren't exactly whispering, but were far enough away from Serenity that she could barely make out their conversation.

"What happened?" The receptionist girl asked.

"That big fella from Yoshimitsu Inc. said that he would only agree to the contract if Mr. Kaiba would sell him the contract of some female employee." At that point, the assistant glanced over at the meeting room's direction, where Serenity was seated. Given the closeness of the room to herself, Serenity figured he must've been looking at Kaiba. "But Kaiba kept denying that she was employed…"

"Who are they talking about exactly?"

"Don't know her name, they just referred to her as 'new girl'…but anyway, so Mr. Kaiba finally said that he'd give him a call if she were to ever actually become a Kaiba Corp worker. But I suppose he thought Kaiba was just blowing him off, so he left."

"Wow." The receptionist was at a loss for words.

'New girl? They couldn't have possibly been talking about me, could they?' As much as Serenity hated to think they were, it added up. None of Kaiba's assistants in the room were females, and the big guy had just previously seen her. Just as Serenity came to the conclusion that she was the one that the Yoshimitsu Inc representative wanted, she thought of something else…'Oh my god! Will Kaiba SELL me to that guy?' Serenity then proceeded to mentally slap herself for having such ridiculous thoughts. The voice of the assistant then spoke up again.

"You know, given the stakes of the contract, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Kaiba found a way to hire this girl, just to secure the deal…"

'No! No! No! He wouldn't! Or would he?' Serenity lingered on that thought, it seemed more like she was hoping Kaiba wouldn't, but in reality if he was sick enough to literally kidnap her for six months, hiring and then selling her in return for a really big contract wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

Kaiba finally came out of the room and looked over to Serenity, which was her cue that they were leaving. As they retraced the steps they took to get there, Kaiba spoke, "I have something to discuss with you."

"Me?" Serenity asked, obviously not expecting Kaiba to initiate a conversation with her.

"No, I'm talking to the invisible person walking with us." Kaiba retorted in a sarcastic manner.

"Oh…" Serenity actually looked around, no trace of anyone. Kaiba was indeed talking to her. Her mind went back to what she heard his assistant say. 'Oh no…this isn't happening…'

* * *

><p>Remember to please take time and leave a review of any thoughts you have! You guys inspire me ^^<p> 


	6. Close Calls

"Oh…" Serenity actually looked around, no trace of anyone. Kaiba was indeed talking to her. Her mind went back to what she heard his assistant say. 'Oh no…this isn't happening…'

The walk back to the limo outside seemed like an eternity, with Serenity just waiting for the inevitable news of being forced to work for that big guy she had just saw. Moments after they both got inside the car and started their way back to the mansion, Kaiba started, "As I was saying…"

The usual script called for Kaiba cutting off Serenity, but this time, it was the reverse. Serenity couldn't contain herself anymore, "Please don't make me work for that guy! Please!"

Kaiba didn't give a verbal response, just a chuckle followed by his trademark smirk. He reached inside his briefcase and pulled out a set of papers, and handed over to Serenity. "Sign", he ordered.

"No…." Serenity found herself tearing up for the first time since the first few days at the mansion and Kaiba proceeded to stuff a pen into her hand.

"And here I thought you were smarter than your idiot brother, but maybe I'm wrong." Kaiba taunted. "Won't even appreciate it when things are given to them…"

"No, please…I don't want a job if it means working for that guy!" Serenity pleaded, but seemingly to no avail. Kaiba didn't look as if he was about to give in. "Why must you do this to me?"

"You really are pathetic, you know?" Kaiba's insult didn't elicit a verbal response, just more quiet sobbing from the younger girl. "The art of reading is a beautiful thing." He mused.

"Hmm?" Serenity whimpered. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked down at the papers. She read the first few lines and couldn't believe what she saw. "What the?... A phone contract?"

"What did you expect it to be? Such a simpleton…"

"I-I thought that it was a contract to hire me, and then transfer to that other company…" Serenity felt like such a fool, humiliating herself yet again in front of Kaiba.

Kaiba just shook his head, "Now when did I tell you anything about this?"

"I overheard…." Back to the typical Kaiba-cuts-off-Serenity game.

"And then you just went on with your wild assumptions. You truly are pathetic…but now that you bring it up, that might not be such a bad idea…" Serenity couldn't tell if Kaiba was serious or not.

"You wouldn't!" Serenity immediately protested. "…Would you?"

"Oh believe me, I would…a pawn like you could net my company so much money…" Serenity's fear showed easily on her face, and Kaiba noticed, and decided to continue. "Not only that, I bet it would drive your brother insane. What's there for me to lose? I make money and I get under that mutt's skin…"

Serenity's eyes started to feel watery once more. 'Kaiba…he's such a monster…' Serenity tried to clear her eyes, and the next thing she saw was Kaiba's face mere inches from hers. Her eyes widened in shock. Memories of Kaiba literally pinning her down in bed on the first day came rushing back as she blushed.

"But don't worry, I won't do that." As he did on the first day, Kaiba moved his head so that he was directly whispering in Serenity's ear. "I'm not letting anyone else cause you misery…that's my job." Kaiba sounded extremely possessive, as if he owned her.

Serenity gasped at the comment. 'Was he knowingly playing with her?' Kaiba then pulled back and just laughed evilly. Serenity didn't know what to make of this. On one hand, Kaiba could've easily made her life even more miserably by hiring her, and then moving her contract over to Yoshimitsu. While at the same time, he just blatantly admitted that he took joy in seeing her in distress. Serenity thought she saw glimpses of the Kaiba that Marie had mentioned when Kaiba gave her the new phone, but then this situation came up.

Kaiba shifted back into his seat. "Well, don't just sit there like the dummy you are…sign the paper."

"Oh…right. I'm sorry…" She began to wonder if her vocabulary had really shrunk down to just those two words, 'I'm sorry'. Kaiba glared at her, so she immediately put her head down to avoid eye contact. She quickly signed the paper and handed it back.

"Your minutes are limited each month, so use them wisely…" After that, the rest of the trip was made in silence.

* * *

><p>Another few weeks had passed, and during that time Serenity made sure to never speak of Yoshimitsu's contract proposal ever again, not wanting to give Kaiba any ideas. These few weeks had been a lot more pleasant, as she now had access to the phone that Kaiba gave her. All her friends were shocked when they learned that Kaiba had given her such an item, but didn't question the act any further, just glad to be able to contact their friend again outside of school.<p>

Tea had given Serenity a call one night when the question popped up. "So how exactly is that jerk treating you?"

"Well…" Serenity didn't know how to answer this. Aside from the first day and the little incident at Kaiba Corp, and the small humiliations every now and then, Kaiba really hadn't caused her any harm. "Well, given what I've heard about him from Joey…I guess he's been a lot better than I expected…" It wasn't a total lie, while Serenity could've done without the mental anxiety that Kaiba seemed to love giving her. "After all, he did give me this phone and all my clothes and such." Neither girl believed what Serenity was saying. She was actually giving Kaiba praise!

"Just to make sure…he hasn't 'done' anything to you, as he?"

Serenity knew exactly what Tea meant. "For the last time, as what I've told the others…Kaiba didn't do anything!" She was surprised that Tea was still unconvinced after all this time.

"Ok, ok, I believe you. Just be careful though, all right?"

* * *

><p>The next few days walking from the limo to school, regardless of the short distance, Serenity cursed at herself for not bothering to order a coat in the catalog earlier. It was mid-fall, but the weather had gotten rather chilly recently. She hugged herself in effort to warm up a bit right after he hopped into the car. Serenity could see her breath form on the window due to the coldness outside. She watched as houses and cars passed on the outside, but it soon became clear that they weren't headed back to the mansion. "Where are we going?" she asked.<p>

"DTC." Kaiba didn't bother to say anymore. DTC, Domino Town Center. Serenity didn't know what Kaiba was there for, but figured it was business related, so didn't ask for a reason. She doubt he would've given her an answer even if she did.

Once they got inside, as they were walking inside the mall, Serenity noticed all the whispers directed at them and eyes that looked at them. All the attention that they were getting made her feel quite uncomfortable. "Get used to it." She heard Kaiba tell her. 'Does he always get this amount of attention? Wait, what am I saying….of course he does! He's the youngest millionaire of this century!'

They stopped in front of a clothing store. "Get yourself a jacket."

"Huh?" Serenity was confused at the simple order.

"What's so hard to understand? Go in, and get yourself a jacket." Kaiba sounded impatient.

"Oh, sorry." There she went again, saying 'sorry' to Kaiba. Kaiba just rolled his eyes, as Serenity walked into the store.

'Well, this was a nice surprise. How did he know about me needing a coat?' Serenity shrugged it off, figuring that it was just common sense as winter as fast approaching. As she was trying on different coats, she saw Kaiba's reflection in the mirror, standing a bit behind her. Serenity quickly picked one out, not wanting to keep him waiting any longer.

As she walked towards Kaiba, he simply directed her to the cashier. After giving her the phone and this trip being unknown beforehand to Serenity, she thought he would pay for the jacket as well. 'Oh no…how am I suppose to pay for this?' Serenity began to worry as she inched closer to the payment desk. 'Is this another one of Kaiba's ideas for making a fool of myself?'

When Serenity handed the jack over the counter, the lady at the register just scanned it and put it neatly inside a bag. "Enjoy!" she handed Serenity the bag. 'I guess Kaiba must've paid for that while I was trying it on…'

Serenity was lost in thoughts during the ride back to the mansion, 'hmm…maybe Kaiba really isn't that bad after all…I mean…if you ignore all his ill-advised jokes…'. Serenity suddenly found herself stealing glances at the CEO. 'IDIOT! What are you doing! This is the same person who almost sold you to slavery!' She shrugged off the stupid thoughts and just tried to block out all thoughts for the rest of the trip.

* * *

><p>Sorry for the long-lay off :

Remember to please take time and leave a review of any thoughts you have! You guys inspire me ^^


	7. The Beginning?

It had been roughly two months ago that Serenity was forced to move in with Kaiba. Truth to be told, aside from the essential loss of a social life, living in the mansion really wasn't all that bad, and aside from the few sadistic jokes Kaiba pulled on her, she could even classify him as considerate. After all, he did get her the best phone on the market, as well as a jacket. However, Serenity had to deduct some points simply for the fact that every time they engaged in a conversation, it would always end with Kaiba either making a smart remark, or embarrassing her.

* * *

><p>Serenity was in her room reading, but for some reason she couldn't concentrate on the book. 'What's wrong with me tonight? I don't have a headache…did I forget to do something?' She quickly ran through a mental checklist of tasks she was supposed to do, but there was nothing left undone. All of a sudden, she realized what was different about tonight compared to any other night - Kaiba wasn't home yet!<p>

As weird as it sounded, it had become routine for Serenity to greet Kaiba when he got back from Kaiba Corp around 7:30, a time at which she would be watching television. It wouldn't be until afterwards that Serenity would head back into her room for reading. Because it was now a standard routine, it felt strange not doing it tonight, at least Serenity tried to convince herself that's the only reason she felt uncomfortable.

Serenity left her room to find Marie, hoping to get some answers. "Hey, Marie…umm…Kaiba hasn't come home yet?" It felt really weird to ask that question.

"No dear, he's probably working late tonight."

"Umm…aren't you worried?"

"Oh no, not at all…this happens from time to time. I would imagine things get hectic now that the year's coming to an end". Marie's assumption made sense, after all month-end alone was already the busiest time each month, and now it was year-end.

For whatever reason, Serenity opted for more television time and wait until he came back. She glanced over at the clock, 10:40. In the two months Serenity had spent at the mansion, she had never been alone in the living room this late. Marie was back in her room, and the largeness of the room and mansion coupled with the lateness made for a somewhat scary and spine-chilling sensation. 'Don't be silly…there's no such thing as ghosts!' Serenity convinced herself.

She curled her legs up onto the sofa, while wrapping her arms around herself as if she was cold, but in reality she was just trying to brush off thoughts about the mansion being haunted. Serenity didn't know what she was watching, she wasn't mentally there. She didn't remember anything being shown before dozing off.

* * *

><p>The sound of birds chirping outside woke her up. She lazily squinted one eye trying to adjust to the morning light. 'Huh? I'm back in my own room…' Serenity tried to piece together last night's events, and while she was certain that she went downstairs, she had no recollection of coming back up. 'That's odd…I guess I was really, really tired…'<p>

As Serenity headed downstairs for breakfast (which was prepared each morning by Marie), she saw Kaiba sitting there at the dining table with a newspaper and coffee. 'Oh right…it's Saturday…man am I losing it…not remembering what I did last night and almost forgetting what day it is!' Serenity mentally slapped herself. "Good morning," she greeted.

Kaiba looked up from the newspaper he was reading, but didn't say anything. He resumed reading as Serenity approached the table. As Serenity just took the first bite of her jellied toast, he spoke up. "You're really heavy, you know?"

Serenity couldn't believe what she just heard. As her brain processed Kaiba's statement, the shock caused her to choke on her food. She began coughing as she frantically gulped down some milk. In the midst of her choking, she could hear Kaiba's voice. "If you're going to kill yourself, do it off my property." She hoped it was joke, but considering all the other rude things Kaiba had said, she wasn't completely sure.

When Serenity finally washed the food down, she made sure to respond. "Don't worry, I'll keep in mind to die in my own house." It wasn't often that Serenity would get in the last word-if ever, but her moral victory was short lived.

"As I was saying, you're really heavy…", Kaiba restated his lie. He was merely trying to get a reaction out of her.

Serenity almost choked again…"E-excuse me?"

Kaiba put down the newspaper, and looked at Serenity. "Well, you sure as hell didn't get back to your room under your own power last night…" Kaiba mused with a grin.

'No way…was Kaiba implying that he carried her upstairs last night?' "I..I.." Serenity found herself too stunned to talk.

"Seems the dog-like behaviour runs in the family…able to fall asleep anywhere…"

Serenity should have been furious at the insult, but she couldn't tell him that she was waiting for him to get back, that would sound just awkward. Even if it wasn't weird, she didn't know if she was brave enough to admit it. "Umm…I guess I fell asleep watching TV…yea…I was really tired last night…." Serenity was babbling, and she knew it. Her cheeks felt really hot. She didn't dare make any eye contact.

"Right." Kaiba could tell that she was lying, but decided against going any further, possibly pitying her after having just caused the poor girl to choke to death. The rest of Serenity's meal would be finished in silence.

For the rest of the day, Serenity couldn't get out of her mind what had transpired during the morning – Kaiba had carried her upstairs to her room last night when she fell asleep on the couch! She spent most of the day locked in her room, trying to come to terms with reality. 'Ohhh….why is it so hard to read what he's up to?' Serenity was normally quite good at getting a sense for what a person is like, she knew quite clearly what type of people her friends were, but Kaiba…he was a complete mystery. The way he had treated her confused her greatly, as there were moments where he seemed 'civil' and considerate, but at other times where he could be just sadistic and mean.

* * *

><p>Just a week later, Serenity once again found herself noticing that Kaiba had not come home at his usual time. She absolutely refused to let history repeat itself, and forced herself not to wait for him downstairs. Instead, Serenity tried to just pretend everything was normal. It didn't work however, as she twisted and turned in bed, not able to fall asleep. Frustrated, she turned on the table lamp next to her bed and started her book again. It would serve well in taking her mind off of any current thoughts as well as perhaps making her sleepy from the extra exerted effort at this time of night.<p>

An hour had passed since the last time Serenity checked the clock, and she finally heard sound of the main door opening…it was midnight. 'Wow, did he work this late last time as well?' She put away the book and turned off the lights, going back to bed. Before she fell asleep, she kept subconsciously asking herself why she waited for him to come home. Unfortunately, she didn't have an answer to her own question.

* * *

><p><em>Serenity awoke to a dark place, she didn't recognize her surroundings at all. 'Where is this place?' "Is anyone there?" she called out to no one in particular. Suddenly everything flashed brightly, and Serenity opened her eyes to witnessing a duel take place. She looked around, and saw Joey on one side, and Kaiba at his opposite.<em>

"_Red Eyes, attack direct! Infernal Fire Blast!" Joey screamed as the dragon took out Kaiba's remaining life points. "I did it! In ya face!" Joey jumped into the air. "Now money-bags, sign 'dat contract 'dat says I'm da new CEO of Kaiba Corp!"_

_Serenity jumped as she heard this. She ran over to her brother, "Joey, do you even know how to run such a big company? Do you have any idea how hard Kaiba has worked to get Kaiba Corp to where it is today?" Serenity didn't even know what she was saying, everything came on instinct._

"_Serenity…why are ya sayin' these things? Are you defendin' him?" Joey sounded confused, even saddened. "Why?"_

_Before Serenity could answer, everything around her faded back into darkness. "Joey! Where'd you go?"_

* * *

><p>Serenity snapped awake. 'It was just a dream!' She wiped the sweat off her forehead, and closed her eyes one more, but this time to even more questions. 'What an unrealistic dream…' she though. Although Serenity didn't know much about dueling, she had enough knowledge to know that Joey wasn't even in the same league as Kaiba as much as it pained her to acknowledge. 'I'm sure that I only said that stuff because I admire how dedicated Kaiba is towards his company…nothing else, as simple as that!'<p>

Serenity didn't want to admit it, but ever since the incident a week ago, the thought of Kaiba had often preoccupied her mind.

* * *

><p>Remember to please take time and leave a review of any thoughts you have! Happy New Years everyone ^^<p> 


	8. Fallen In

The past few weeks had been extraordinarily uneventful for Serenity. She had been doing her best to avoid any sort of contact with Kaiba. During this time, she was desperately trying to clear her mind of the CEO that had slowly built up from around three months of living together.

Christmas had come and gone almost unknowingly, in fact Serenity would likely have forgotten about it completely if not for the calls she received from her Joey and the rest of the group. Just the thought of it was sad, but such was the life of living in the Kaiba mansion. Although Serenity was trying to avoid Kaiba, she would see him at least once or twice each day, but he was nowhere to be found on Christmas day. Marie would reveal that he was attending some fancy holiday business dinner. Not surprising. Overall, it was definitely a forgettable holiday season for Serenity.

* * *

><p>Serenity looked at the calendar, slightly more than four months had passed. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel now, and soon she could resume her normal life. It would require some adjustment, but it would be totally worth it. While Serenity couldn't say she hated living her current life, she vastly preferred life pre-bet.<p>

The day started out like any other, classes had started back up two weeks ago. It was the same old routine of heading straight for the limousine after the final bell. Kaiba had instructed the driver to stop by at the Domino Town Center, which was pretty much a bi-weekly thing. Serenity assumed it was for the regular reasons of Kaiba picking up some documents or material for whatever he was working on.

As they got out, she heard Kaiba speak out. "You have an hour to do as you please, I have an appointment. East entrance, 4 pm sharp. Got it?"

Caught off guard, not expecting Kaiba to let her shop alone Serenity didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

Kaiba then handed her a card, "Take it, might come handy…" Before Serenity could say anything, Kaiba had already walked off, leaving her standing there looking confused.

Serenity looked at the card Kaiba had just given her. It was a gift card that could be spent anywhere in the mall. No amount was specified on it though. 'Typical Kaiba, driving people off with money'. Serenity didn't mind it this time, at least now she could actually do some shopping. It had been a long time since she last went on a real shopping trip. She was tempted to call up Mai or Tea, but didn't want to risk losing any time, after all she only had a one hour limit.

She decided to start out small, just to find out exactly how much was on the card. The resultant purchase was a scarf. Serenity looked at the bill to check out the remaining balance on the card. 'Holy smokes! That's more than how much I usually spend in three months normally!' There was no way Serenity could end up spending it all today, unless she opted to buy some designer or name brand clothing or jewelry. However, Serenity didn't even consider those things, never had she been one to buy items not of practical use.

* * *

><p>Serenity looked at her watch, '4 already?' The one hour had went by extremely quickly, Serenity felt that there were still so many stores she wanted to check out. 'Oh well, guess I couldn't have asked for too much.' Serenity hurried back to the designated entrance.<p>

Kaiba was already there. "You're late."

"I'm sorry, I walked as fast as I could, but there were so many…"

"Save it. Let's go."

"Oh, I didn't thank you yet for the gift card, but I didn't even come close to using half of it." Serenity was about to hand it back over, when Kaiba refused it.

"Keep it." Didn't say anything else.

"But…" Before Serenity could protest further, an icy glare prevented her from doing so. "In that case, once again, thank-you."

It was snowing heavily outside, much different compared to what it was like when they got here just an hour ago. A lot of people entered and exited the mall, so the ground was just covered with wet dirt-filled slush, it was disgusting.

The hand signal was already flashing, so they decided to just stop and wait for the traffic light to change so to cross the street to reach where the limousine was waiting. There was no point in trying to run in wet snow. Out of nowhere, some middle aged man burst across the street, trying to beat out the traffic light signal from behind Serenity. Serenity was literally tackled from the side. "Ahhh!" Serenity felt herself lose balance from the unexpected contact.

Serenity closed her eyes and braced herself for her inevitable fall to the wet ground, and prepared for the almost-guaranteed comments Kaiba would make about her being clumsy and what not.

She waited to hit the ground, but that moment never came. Instead she felt something catch her by the waist, preventing her from hitting the wet surface. Just as immediate as the initial contact was made nearly knocking her over, the support from her waist pulled her back up and in. Serenity opened her eyes, and found herself staring into the chest of Kaiba, one of his arms firmly around her.

Not knowing what to do, she pulled away. She could feel her face burning up, so she didn't look up at him. "T-thank you…" The ground has become very interesting as she was still staring down.

If it were anyone else, Serenity would've expected to be asked if she was all right. But of course with Kaiba, the chances of that were slim to none. "Walk." Kaiba simply ordered.

"Huh?" Serenity was lost, not knowing what was going on.

"Walk. Light's changed." To the point as ever.

"Oh…sorry…" Yet again, Serenity was apologizing to Kaiba.

* * *

><p>The ride back to the mansion was in silence as usual, but this time it was extremely uncomfortable for Serenity. She didn't want to be this close to Kaiba after what had just happened. Kaiba on the other hand, seemed unfazed, as if he didn't care one way or another.<p>

As soon as they got back, Serenity raced into her room and threw herself on to her bed, stuffing her face into the pillow. 'I can't believe Kaiba just put his arm around my waist like that! He actually saved me!'

It would be a long night for her. Unable to fall asleep, each time Serenity closed her eyes wanting to doze off, she would see those cold blue eyes, truly mesmerizing. Serenity looked at the time, 3:09 am. 'You've gotta be kidding me…c'mon Serenity what's wrong with you? All that hard work to get him off your mind, and just like that you've been thinking of him for nearly half a day now…non-stop! ' She wanted to cry at her inability to fall asleep, and for not being able to cleanse her thoughts of Kaiba.

* * *

><p>It was morning, but Serenity didn't even know when or how she fell asleep last night. She brought a hand up to her face to rub her eyes when he felt her face stained with dried tears. She had literally cried herself to sleep several hours earlier. Luckily it was the weekend, this would mean several things. First, she wouldn't be seen by her school mates looking like a zombie with deep dark circles under her eyes, but most importantly, she could purposely avoid Kaiba, going down when she knew he wasn't around.<p>

Serenity knew it was silly, but didn't go down for breakfast until she heard the door open and close, meaning Kaiba had left the house. Finally going down for food, as soon as she sat down, memories came flooding into her mind.

"_You're really heavy, you know?...You sure as hell didn't get back to your room under your own power last night…"_

She froze, and shook her head. 'Why did I just think about that incident again? I must be too tired and starved to think straight…'

As her breakfast/lunch was finished, she started to head back into her room, figuring it would be the perfect time to get a few assignments done. But as soon as she opened the door, her mind wandered off again.

"_Go ahead and scream…in my house…See if anyone will care… I always get what I want…"_

Serenity could vividly see herself pinned down on the bed by Kaiba back on her first day at the mansion as stepped back into her room. She shook her head violently. 'What's happening to me?' Her whole body was shaking as she struggled to find her phone, and dialed.

"Serenity what's up?" a cheerful Tea answered

In between quiet sobs, Serenity managed to meekly greet her friend. "Tea…"

It didn't take long for Tea to realize that something was wrong. She could tell that Serenity had been crying, between the faint sobs and heavy breathing, there was no mistaking it. "Serenity! What's wrong?"

"Tea…I think…I've have feelings for Kaiba…"

* * *

><p>Remember to please take time and leave a review of any thoughts you have! Thanks for all the support ^^<p> 


	9. Broken

"Tea…I think…I've have feelings for Kaiba…"

There was no response, Tea was too shocked for words. It took her a while to regain her composure. "Serenity, you still there?" The question was actually redundant as she could clearly still hear Serenity's muffled cries and heavy breathing.

"Tea, what should I do?" Serenity managed to ask.

Once again, it took Tea a bit before she managed to answer. If it were any other man, she would have no trouble giving Serenity advice, but this was Seto Kaiba. "But Serenity, this doesn't make any sense…the last few times we talked, you've mentioned some of the mean jokes he's played on you and how he's teased and insulted you countless times…"

"Tea…I know…it's just that…" Before Serenity could finish her thought, Tea had cut her off.

"Serenity, you know how he's treated your brother, right?"

"Of course I do, he continues to insult him right in front of me. But I can't help but feel safe when I'm around him…" Serenity's voice had started to trail off, as if he was beginning to daydream.

"Serenity! Snap out of it!" Tea snapped. "Serenity, just think of all the things he's done to us."

"I can't…I tried…but every time I think of anything related to him, I just see those deep blue eyes…" Serenity was zoning out yet again.

"Oh my goodness…you've really fallen for him badly…" Tea finally gave in, "Look Serenity, there's not much I can say right now, but you're going to keep this away from Joey."

"You'll help, right?"

"Of course I will."

Although Tea was not able to give Serenity any advice on her current situation, Serenity felt a lot better having gotten the confession out of her system. The only problem now was that she would still see Kaiba every day, and it would only be even more difficult to be around him.

* * *

><p>Serenity failed to get anything productive done that day, as she was too busy trying to come to terms with reality and figure out exactly why she was in love with a man she was supposed to hate. She was experiencing inner conflict…<p>

"_Serenity, he took you away from your brother and friends…"_

"_But those ice blue eyes…"_

"_Serenity, he almost sold you to another company…"_

"_But he didn't, and perhaps never even considered it…"_

"_Serenity, think about all those cruel jokes…"_

"_But he made up for them with everything he gave me…"_

"_Serenity, Kaiba is a very dangerous man capable of almost anything…"_

"_But his embrace felt so safe…safer than anything I've ever felt before…"_

"_Serenity, he's your brother's sworn enemy…"_

"_But he's never hurt me in anyway…"_

It was no use, for every reason Serenity could think of not to like the CEO, she could think of a counter argument to defend him.

* * *

><p>The next few days were unbearably difficult for Serenity to get through. The only things that occupied her mind were thoughts of how Joey would react to this if he found out, and how hopeless this crush was. Serenity had pretty much accepted the painful reality that her feelings would never be returned.<p>

Lost in the sea of thoughts, the lunch bell brought Serenity back to earth.

"Serenity, over here!" Tea called out to her friend.

Serenity headed over to her and followed her outside the cafeteria and into an empty classroom. They would be able to talk and finish their lunches in private with everyone eating elsewhere.

"So how are you coping?"

"I'm surviving I guess…I really do appreciate you for listening to all my complains…"

"Oh…I'll always be here for you Serenity, that's what friends are for!"

"No, I really mean it. There's no one else I can talk to about this. There's no way I can tell Joey about this, and I could never confess to Kaiba. At least if he never officially turns me down, I can always convince myself into believing there's still hope…" Serenity was grasping at straws, and she knew it. Kaiba didn't have to reject her for her to know that she didn't have a chance to begin with…

"Serenity…tell me how this all started?"

"It's a long story Tea, and to be honest, I don't know how or when exactly I started liking him…but I guess it dates back to my first night at the mansion…let's just say Kaiba's never been a shy person, and if I didn't know any better, based on his actions I would've thought he was purposely seducing me. He would come so close to me and literally whisper in my ear. No one has ever been that intimate with me before…so I just didn't know what to make of it." Tea nodded in agreement. "We didn't say much to each other, but I would greet him every time he came home at night. Then this one night that he worked late, I found myself feeling all awkward…and I ended up trying to wait for him, but I fell asleep…and he carried me back to my room apparently. All the stories that the house..err mansion-keeper told me about a 'good-hearted' Kaiba really got me thinking...that perhaps he still existed."

"You're talking about the stories that she told about Kaiba saving her job, right?"

"Right. For some reason, I truly believed that a 'good' Kaiba still existed. And since then, I've always looked for a way to justify Kaiba's actions. Even when he played those cruel jokes on me…deep down inside, I kept thinking that it was his way of having fun, and really meant no harm." Serenity didn't believe some of the things she was saying.

"Then when he got me my jacket, I dunno…I just thought that it was a really sweet thing for him to do…especially since I never said anything about wanting one. It got me thinking that he actually did care. Everything just slowly built up, and when he caught me from falling down, I just couldn't take it anymore. And here we are today."

If Tea wasn't paying attention, it would've been hard to tell. She seemed extremely interested in Serenity's story. "It all makes sense…after all, you're just a girl. Who wouldn't fall in love with a guy of Kaiba's status after living with him for several months?"

* * *

><p>It was another day after school that Kaiba had business to take care of at Domino Town Center. "You still have that gift card I gave you." It wasn't really a question, Kaiba was merely stating facts. Didn't even bother to look up from his phone, not that Serenity was complaining…she was trying to limit her eye contact with him anyway.<p>

"Y-yes. Yes I do."

"You have one hour. Same spot as last time. Understood?"

"Yes." Serenity should be maddened by the simple manner she was being talked to, but when it was Kaiba, she no longer felt any resentment. Instead, she felt all nice and warm just knowing that he was taking the time to talk to her. She knew she was in trouble…

* * *

><p>Once again, Serenity had no idea what to use the gift card on, there was still such a large amount on it. She found herself just randomly walking into shops, her mind clearly wasn't on shopping today. But then something caught her eye…a transparent glass figure of a dragon that stood about 6 inches tall, with its eyes tinted blue. Serenity didn't hesitate any and bought it, and it was only after she left the store that she questioned her decision. <em>"Great..how are you planning to on giving it to him? You're such a fool Serenity…"<em> She shook off the thoughts of making fun of herself. _"Maybe I'll just keep it for now…he doesn't need to know I bought it…yea, that's it…I'll just keep it for myself…"_ She clutched the bag to her chest and sighed…_"You're hopeless…"_

She sat on the water fountain near the exit waiting for Kaiba when two teens fooling around knocked into her literally at full speed. This time, there was no Kaiba to catch her fall. As she hit the ground, she heard the sound of glass shattering. "Oh no!" Serenity realized what at just broken.

"Watch it girl!" the male who had just slammed into her complain. "People can get hurt if you don't watch where you're going!"

"W-what? But.." Serenity couldn't believe her ears, they were blaming her for the collision!

Just then, the female spoke up. "Honey, she broke the watch you gave me!"

Serenity's eyes just grew wider, speechless…still haven't picked herself up yet from the floor. "But you…"

"Oh…now you're just going to deny what you just did? I saw it with my own eyes that you ran into my girlfriend, and broke the watch. You gonna pay up or-"

"Or what?" Serenity heard a familiar voice ask.

"K-k-kaiba!" The two teens stammered. "Oh no, what we meant to say was..was that we're sorry for bumping into her…that's all…" Their voices were shaking. They both quickly apologized to Serenity and ran off.

"You ok?" Serenity thought she heard Kaiba ask. _"What's this? Kaiba showing concern and compassion?"_

Serenity nodded and she slowly got up. Serenity went to pick up the broken dragon when a shard of glass sliced to her hand. "Ahh!" Serenity immediately pulled back, holding her wound.

"You're such a klutz," Kaiba muttered, as he bent over and picked up the broken pieces.

"Ohh, no…" Serenity didn't want Kaiba to see what it was that had broke.

"If you want to cut yourself again…there's plenty of knives at home…" Kaiba retorted sarcastically. He picked up the broken pieces and put it back inside the bag, and just tossed it in the closest garbage can. "It was broken beyond repair…no point keeping it."

"_Phew…maybe he didn't see what it was…"_

* * *

><p>On the ride back to the mansion, Serenity was held on to her injured hand looking out the window when she heard Kaiba speak. "What was the glass dragon for?"<p>

Serenity froze…

* * *

><p>I only have 1-2 chapters left planned for this, so we're in the stretch run!<p>

Remember to please take time and leave a review of any thoughts you have! Thanks for all the support ^^


	10. Ending the Pain

"What was the glass dragon for?"

Serenity froze…_"Oh no! He saw it what it was! What do I tell him? Think Serenity! Think! This is no time to blush!"_ But to no avail, Serenity felt her cheeks grow hotter by the second, and was speechless. "I…um…"

Kaiba just looked straight at her, and then made a business call of his phone. _"Did Kaiba just bail me out? He could've humiliated you just now…"_ The thought of it just made Serenity feel even hotter, she was once again finding reason to praise him.

Serenity avoided eye contact for the rest of the ride, and Kaiba didn't bring it up again after he ended his call. _"Maybe he's forgotten about it…"_

* * *

><p>After dinner, Serenity was about to bolt straight back to her room, not wanting to be close to Kaiba downstairs. But just as she was about to leave the table, Kaiba stopped her. "Drop by my room in 30 minutes." Kaiba was not asking, it was an order. <em>"Oh god…alone with him in his room? What do I do? Snap out of it Serenity!"<em>

"O-ok." Serenity meekly replied before leaving.

* * *

><p>"<em>What does he want? Can it be that he actually hasn't forgotten about the broken glass dragon? Oh well, one way to find out…here goes nothing…" <em>Serenity walked over to Kaiba's room, his door was semi-opened, as the lighting from his computer illuminated the dark room. He was working as expected. Serenity knocked gently. "Umm..you wanted to see me?"

"Come in." Kaiba stated without looking up from the monitor. "And close the door…"

Serenity shivered as she heard the last order. _"This can't be good…."_ Regardless of her nervousness, her shaking hand found its way to the door and closed it slowly.

As Serenity turned back to face Kaiba after closing the door, she found him literally inches away from her again. _"How did he….?"_ She didn't even hear footsteps of him walking over! "Uhh…." She couldn't bring herself to look Kaiba in the eye, finding all of a sudden just how interesting the ground was to stare at.

Kaiba put his hand underneath Serenity's chin, causing her face to fluster again. Slowly, he brought her head up so that she looked straight into his eyes. "I believe I asked you a question earlier today…"

"Did you? What was it? I don't remember…" Serenity tried to feign ignorance, hoping Kaiba would drop the subject. _"Yea..like that'll ever work…"_ And it clearly didn't…Kaiba pressed on.

"Don't play dumb and innocent with me Serenity…you know exactly what I'm talking about." As Kaiba was saying this, he was advancing closer to Serenity, forcing Serenity to back up. All of a sudden, Serenity felt something make contact with her legs. _"Oh no! His bed!"_ Serenity lost balance and landed flat on her back on top of Kaiba's king-sized bed.

Before Serenity could react, Kaiba had already hovered over her. _"Why does this seem all so familiar?" _ The situation caused memories of her first day at the mansion to flood back. _"What should I do?"_

"Could it be that the dragon was for me?" Kaiba mused in a low, taunting tone.

Serenity couldn't answer him, and tried to turn her head to the side so that she didn't have to face him directly, but Kaiba stopped her. He grabbed her chin once more and forced her head straight. "Let me go!" Serenity complained as she attempted to push the larger body off of her. She failed, as Kaiba pinned her arm to her side with his free hand.

"Answer me first…"

"No! It wasn't for you…" Serenity quickly stammered, while squeezing her eyes shut.

Kaiba moved his face closer to hers. His nose was merely a centimeter away from hers. "Don't lie to me now…" he whispered. "Lying doesn't suit you…"

"Yes…"

"Why?"

Serenity froze again. _"Does he know? He's not stopping with his questions…oh…why me?"_

"Why Serenity?" Kaiba whispered again. Serenity could feel his hot breath on her cheeks.

She couldn't answer him. No way could she confess to him that she was in love.

Kaiba smirked. "Could it be…."

"_Oh. My. God. Did he see right through?" _Serenity couldn't bear to think about it.

"…that you like me?" Kaiba murmured in a sly tone. The smirk remained on his face.

Once again, Serenity didn't say anything.

"I dislike waiting for answers…"

"Yes…" Serenity said weakly.

The room was dark enough that Serenity couldn't make out Kaiba's face, but she could hear the laughter building up from Kaiba's stomach. It was an evil laugh, one that you'd hear from a typical villain on a TV show.

Kaiba pressed on. "Why?"

"I don't know…" Another weak-voiced reply.

"Is it because of money?" Kaiba pondered. "Sleep with me tonight, and I'll write you a cheque that'll last you a life time…"

"_. Was Kaiba really seducing her?" _Serenity was too shocked to answer. The thought of money never even came across her mind. She was appalled that Kaiba would even think that. Sure she was nowhere near as well off, but she certainly wasn't this cheap. Finally, Serenity's anger and embarrassment boiled pass her limits. "No!"

"What was that?" Kaiba actually sounded surprised, if that was possible. Even if he wasn't surprised, he had let his guard down…Serenity snuck out from under him. But he regained his senses, and his arm darted out and grabbed hers and pulled her down again.

Just as Serenity was trying to figure out what had happened after her attempted escape, she found herself in the CEO's powerful arms. "Please…let me go…" Serenity begged, as tears ran down her face. She hated being weak, but in Kaiba's presence, that was all she ever felt.

"No." Kaiba flatly said.

This time, it would be Serenity's turn to ask. In between sobs, she managed pose her question. "Why…why are you doing this to me?"

It was Kaiba's turn to be speechless.

"Please…stop…I can't take this anymore…"

Kaiba was shocked at the girl in his arms pouring her heart out.

"Yes…I like you! I said it, you happy now!" Tears continued to flow down her face.

Kaiba still hadn't said anything. Instead, he brought his hand up to Serenity's face and wiped her tear-stricken cheeks.

"Why do you do this…why do you play with my feelings like this?" Serenity sobbed again. "You have any idea how hard it is to be me…I know this is all wrong, my brother would hate me if he found out…but I can't help it! I tried to stop myself, but I can't!" Unknowingly, Serenity had buried her face into Kaiba's chest, crying even harder.

"I'm supposed to hate you…for all the things you've done to my brother and my friends….but I can't!" Serenity bawled. For a second, Serenity swore she felt a hand stroke the back of her head. "And I know you'll never feel the same way about me…but I can't help it!"

Serenity felt another stroke and pat, it was comforting. Finally, she managed to compose herself slightly and pull away, now looking at Kaiba's tear stained shirt. "I'm such a fool…" Serenity attempted to get up. But once again, Kaiba didn't let her.

"Wait." Kaiba said solemnly after minutes of just Serenity confessing everything bottled up inside her. "You're…not a fool."

"Huh…?" Serenity was confused as she was surprised by what Kaiba had just said.

"I was only joking about the cheque…" Kaiba was referencing his earlier proposal. Noticing that Serenity didn't respond, Kaiba once again brought lifter her chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Serenity…you're anything but a fool…"

"Se..Seto…" Serenity didn't know why, but she found herself whispering his first name.

"You know…I've grown pretty fond of having you around after these past several months…"

Serenity was still a tad confused. _"Was Kaiba trying to hint something?"_

"I liked seeing you…angry…scared…Serenity, you're so easy to read…that's why I enjoyed teasing you…"

Serenity wanted to feel angry, but she couldn't. "I…."

Before Serenity could finish, she felt Kaiba's lips on hers. This kiss was brief…but it felt like an eternity for Serenity. Serenity was left stunned…absolutely at a loss for words.

"To be honest…I didn't think things would turn out this way." Kaiba admitted.

She shrugged her head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "What do you mean?"

"You were supposed to be just another trophy…I never thought that I would end up cherishing it…"

Serenity didn't say anything. Although Kaiba didn't outright say that he liked her as well, but it was clear to her that her relationship with Seto Kaiba wouldn't be as simple as mansion-owner and captive. Regardless of how he really felt, Serenity was certain of one thing…she had found the true Kaiba…the one that had alluded everyone for the past decade.

She didn't care anymore about how Joey might react. Nothing was important anymore, all that mattered was that Kaiba had willingly taken her into his arms at this moment. Serenity didn't care about the future; she closed her eyes, just wanting time to freeze so that this moment could last forever…

* * *

><p>FIN…<p>

* * *

><p>Well that's it everyone! Hope you guys enjoyed it.<p>

I did my best to keep Serenity and Kaiba in character as much as possible. For me, to have Kaiba straight-out say "I love you" to Serenity seemed highly unlike something he'd do, so I had to have him express his feelings more 'indirectly'.

I know there's plenty of S/S fics out there, but so many of them end up having both act all out of character. I hope that that I've managed to break that mold.

Thanks for the support!


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